Island



(No Model.) Y

' I. H. SISSON.

SHOE LACE FASTENING.

No. 483,622. Patented Oct. 4, 1892.

w Mm- Lamb L UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ISAAC H. SISSON, OF PROVIDENCE, RHODE ISLAND.

SHOE-LACE FASTENING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 483,622, dated October4:, 1892.

Application filed April 6, 1892. Serial No. 428,076. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC H. SISSON, a citizen of the United States,residing at Providence,in the county of Providence and State of RhodeIsland, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inLace-Clasps, of which the following is a specification, reference beinghad therein to the accompanying drawings.

It has been deemed desirable to provide a lace-clasp which may besecured to a shoe, glove, corset, or the like, for the purpose offastening the ends of the lace quickly and firmly without the necessityof tying the same. Such clasps are well known, but so far as known to methose previously constructed are objectionable, in that the free ends ofthe lace which project beyond the clasp do not lie flat against theshoe, but owing to the way the lace is seized by the clasp they standout atright angles to the shoe or substantially so, and do not present aneat appearance.

Lace-clasps so far as known to me are pro vided with securing-prongswhich are separated by a considerable space, and which therefore maketwo holes through the shoe or other article when the clasp is setthereon. This is also objectionable for some kinds of work, besidesrequiring somewhat greater power in the machine which sets the clasps asWell as the employment of larger settingdies and other parts.

My invention has for its object to provide a lace-clasp which shallobviate these objections; and it consists in a clasp having. thepeculiarities of construction hereinafter set forth, and the novelfeatures of which are pointed out in the claim which is appended heretoand made a parthereof.

My invention will be clear from the accompanying drawings and thefollowing description, in which reference is made to the drawings, inwhich- Figure 1 shows the upper part of a shoe laced and with one end ofthe lace secured by my clasp. Fig.2 is a View of the reverse side of apiece of leather or similar material having a clasp set thereon, showingthe disposition of the prongs of the clasp on the back of the leatherand indicating in dotted linesthe portions of the clasp which are onthefront of the leather in order to show the position of the prongsrelatively to the other portions of the claspwhen the clasp is set. F g.3 s a perspective of a clasp detached. F g 4c is a diagram showing therelative position on line 4 4:, Fig. 3, of the portions of the claspwhich seize the lace, the position of the lace when held by the claspbeing indicated by dotted lines.

My improved clasp is composed, preferably, of one piece of wire, whichshould be tempered so as to have the quality of a spring. The piece ofwire is formed into the shape shown clearly in Fig. 3--that is, its endswhich form the prongs a are substantially parallel with each other andplaced at right angles or substantially so to the other portions of theclasp. That portion of the clasp which seizes and holds the laceconsists of four parallel or substantially parallel parts, the two innerparts 19 being connected with the prongs and each being connected withan outer part dby the curved portions e. The outer parts (1 areconnected by means of the cross part f, and the ends of the parts dadjacent the cross part f are turned upwardly slightly 1!]. order thatthe lace may be readily slipped under the parts at between the part fand the leather or other material upon which the clasp is set. Theprongs a are located, preferably, near the mouth or part of the claspwhich receives the lace in proximity to the cross bar or part f, and maybe close together, in which case they will make but one hole in theleather when the clasp is set, or they may be separated somewhat, ifthis is desired, without departing from my invention. When the prongsare inserted in the leather, they are turned down and set firmly againstthe back of the leather, their free ends being preferably spread, as isclearly shown, Fig. 2, in order that the prongs will lie directly beh ndthe portions (2, thus forming a firm backing for the portions d at ornear the point where the lace is seized and increasing the firmness withwhich the lace is held. The prongs a should be of sufficient length toproject behind or under the portions d, as shown, Fig. 2, although verygood results may be obtained if the prongs are not made quite as longrelatively to the other parts as they are shown in said figure. When thelace 70 has been drawn taut and slipped under the cross part f andforced or drawn down into position, as shown, Fig. 1, it will be giventwo short bends, as indicated by the dotted lines h, Fig. 4, between theouter andoinner portions or bars of the clasp, thus holding it securelyand preventing it from slipping. That portion of the lace which projectsbeyond the clasp is held closely against the material in which the claspis set and has no tendency to stick outor stand away from the material.The parts d and b are, as indicated in the diagram Fig. 4, on the sameplane, thus permitting the parts of the clasp to lie close to or againstthe material in which the clasp is set. The end or cross partfot theclasp requires to be only slightly turned up or raised from the materialto permit of the ready entrance of the lace, and since it is broad andnot pointed or narrow it has very slight tendency to catch the garmentsof the wearer.

What I claim is A lace clasp composed of a continuous piece of metalshaped to form a cross-piecef, and an outer holding-down portion at eachend of the said cross-piece, the free ends of the material beingreturned together intermediate the holding-down portions to form twoinner portions in close proximity to each other and over which theintermediate portion of the lace will extend, and the free ends of thesaid inner portions being bent to form securing-prongs of considerablelength to constitute when the clasp is set a backing portion or supportfor those portions of the clasp which seize and hold the lace,substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC H. SISSON. Vvitnesses:

F. A. SMITH, Jr., J. B. BUCKLEY.

